sectioneightentertainment | Budapest [Chapter Two] (Reply)

*[Originally posted on Fanfiction.Net last 18-12-2010]

CHAPTER TWO

A few hours later, Alex woke up to a knock at her door. Four knocks, to be exact. Alex knew who it was. Aretha.

She always knocked four times. Not three, not five, always four times. It her little code. "Hold on!" Alex shouted. "You know damn well I can't move that fast! I'm as big as a house, for Christ's sake!" Alex managed to find her mukluks and put them on. Then, she waddled towards the door and opened it.

Standing by the door was her tall, raven-haired friend, Aretha. "Well, it's about time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty!" said Aretha in her distinctive English accent. "It's past ten o"clock! That's late, even for you, innit?" she said with a smile.

Alex is always suspicious when she sees Aretha smile. She arched eyebrow, "You're up to something. What is it?" she asked.

Aretha's smile grew bigger. "You'll see. Put your robe on. Let's go downstairs. Go on!"

"Just tell me what it is!" Alex said with feigned irritation.

Aretha's smile grew even bigger. She was enjoying this. "It's a surprise!" With that, she turned to the door and left the room.

Alex put her robe on and followed her. "A surprise, great! Just great!" Aretha was one big surprise from the moment they first met.

FLASHBACK TO MONTHS BEFORE, IN BUDAPEST AIRPORT...

Alex looked around for an attendant that can help her to a taxi that will take her to a hotel. She didn't have much to carry, but given her current situation, the slightest bit of movement hurt. She needed help, badly.

"Alexandra Hunter?" asked the distinctive female voice from behind her.

Alex turned to see who it was. She looked at her. The woman was tall and fit, in her late thirties, with long black hair tied into a ponytail. Reluctantly, she answered, "Yes?"

The woman then abruptly said "No! It's Anja Gardner now, remember?" Her accent wasn't Hungarian. It's British. Estuary English, to be precise.

"How did you know that?" Alex snapped at her.

"Relax, sweetheart! Hale sent me." the woman reassured her.

Alex just shot her an icy look. The woman continued, "What, did you really believe that Hale will just ship you off to a foreign land on your own to fend for yourself," and in a softer tone "And your child?" Alex gasped after hearing that.

"It's okay. Your secret is safe with me. I'm here to help. Not like I could say no to a good friend like Hale. He only told me because he knows I don't like to go into things blindly." the woman stated, as she motioned to one of the attendants to help carry the bags. The woman proceeded to push Alex's wheelchair.

Then it occurred to Alex, "Wait a minute! I don't even know you!" Alex said slightly raising her voice.

The woman replied softly, "Shhh! Not so loud, dear!" Without stopping, she said "Right now, I'm Greta Gardner, your sister. Now hush! We'll do formal introductions later!" she promised.

Alex still wasn't convinced, but she let the subject drop for now. For some reason, Hale trusts this woman, and she trusts Hale. That's good enough for her.

They kept going. They stopped right next to what Alex assumed was the woman's car. Not just any car, it was a 2001 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG. Not bad, Alex thought. The girl's got taste!

One attendant put the bags in the trunk, another one helped Alex get in the back seat of the car. As soon as she was all settled in, 'Greta' gave the men a their tips, got into the driver's seat, started the car and drove.

After minutes of silence, 'Greta' spoke first. "Alright, introductions, as promised. My name is Margaretha Deveraux. You may call me Aretha for short. I'm a friend of Hale's. I'm what you would call a 'procurement specialist'. I can procure whatever you want, wherever it is, whenever you need it! For a price, of course! I mean, my services will cost you, but you get what you pay for!" Aretha continued to talk as she drove. "Alright, your turn!"

Alex took a moment before she replied. "Well, as you already know, my name is Alexandra Hunter. You may call me Alex. I'm in the 'moving business'. I know people who knows people who robs rich people." she said, still unsure whether to trust Aretha.

Alex looked at her through the rear view mirror. "So tell me, Aretha, how much is it going to cost Hale for this 'service' of yours?"

Aretha gave her a puzzled look. "Oh, this! No, sweetheart, this one is strictly pro bono!" She saw that Alex didn't seem convinced. "I owe Hale. He saved my life years ago when we pulled a London job." She continued, "You mean a lot to him and his family. I'm honored that he entrusted you unto my care."

After a few more miles of driving, she made a turn and drove inside the gates of an estate built on a cliff overlooking the Danube River.

Aretha stopped the car in front of a beautiful Gothic Tudor mansion. Alex looked at the place with awe as she was was help out of the car by a middle-aged gentleman.

"Welcome to Vadzel! You fancy it?" Aretha asked. "This place used to be the vacation home of the Duke Andrassy. I won it from him on a baccarat game in Monaco. Let's go inside." Aretha motioned to the entrance of the manor.

The man from earlier then wheeled Alex into the manor. The Duke Andrassy, Alex thought. I've always wanted to dance with a duke! she thought.

The interior of the manor had Alex even in more awe. The place had an elegant design, filled with antique vases and expensive art works. Neal Caffrey would love to live here!

Alex was too busy surveying the place that she didn't even notice the middle-aged lady walk into the room until she was standing in front of her.

Aretha introduced her, "Alex, this is Edina. That one over there," she motioned to the man who helped Alex earlier, "is her husband, Jakob They live here too. They take care of the place when I'm gone. If you need anything and I'm not here, you can ask them for help."

Aretha then turned to Jakob and Edina, "Jakob, Edina, this is Alex. She'll be living here in the manor as my guest, until further notice." They exchanged pleasantries and helped Alex up the stairs. They then showed Alex the room she'd be staying in.

Inside her room, Alex struggled to keep her jaw from dropping. This room is bigger than my whole apartment back in New York! Alex thought as she toured the room.

In it was a beautiful fireplace, a luxurious walk in closet, an elegant bathroom, a terrace with a parapet and a view of the Danube, and a huge bed that is so soft it's like made of clouds. Alex felt like a princess.

This entire place is like a fairytale castle, all that's missing is a moat! This is all too good to be true! she thought.

That last part made Alex stop. Too good to be true. She may have to do a little digging in the morning, find some info regarding a certain Margaretha Deveraux. For now, Alex wanted to sleep in her 'princess' bed.

The next day, Alex made a phone call to her friend who happened to be in the 'information business'. What she found out worried her. She went to find Aretha to confront her. She found her in the library.

Aretha looked surprised to see her. "Well, hello, Alex! I hope you-" Alex held out her hand to interrupt her.

"Listen, here, lady! Like you, I don't like going into things blindly either! So I had a friend look you up! And you know what? That raised a lot of flags from different sorts of people, and most probably put my friend at risk! Not to seem ungrateful, but I don't want to get mixed up with someone who could put me and my child in danger!" Alex said angrily.

Aretha walked towards her. "Alex, you need to calm down, please! I can explain everything." she said.

This made Alex angrier. "Don't tell me to calm down, you-oww!" Alex grabbed her belly and yelled in pain.

Just then, Aretha noticed the blood running down in between Alex's thighs, "Oh my God, Alex! You're bleeding!" She helped Alex to a chair and called Edina to have Jakob get a doctor.

Aretha went back to Alex to comfort her. At this point, Alex was on full on panic mode. She tried her best to calm Alex down. "It's going to be alright, sweetie. Just keep calm. The doctor will be here soon!"

Later, the doctor came out of Alex's room. He told Aretha that the baby was in distress, due to the mother's stress caused by the combination of her recent injuries, jet lag and high blood pressure. But he reassured her that both Alex and the baby are fine will stay that way as long as Alex got enough rest and relaxed a bit.

The doctor then gave her Alex's prescription with specific instructions on when and how to take her medication. Before the doctor left, Aretha reassured him that his instructions will be followed to the letter.

That night, Aretha went to Alex's room to make sure that she had already eaten and had taken her meds. She saw Alex staring out the window. "Alex, how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Just peachy! The world is my oyster!" Alex retorted.

Aretha sat down to the chair next her bed. "Now, now! The doctor said you should relax, for your own sake and the baby's." She saw Alex's face softened when she mentioned the baby. She knew that Alex would do anything for her child.

"Look, Alex. I'm not really a bad person. I mean, I do illegal things, yes, but I'm not evil! If it will give you peace of mind, I will tell you who and what I really am! I'll answer any of your questions!" Aretha assured her.

"Yes, actually, that might give me some peace of mind." Alex replied.

Aretha began to tell Alex her story. "Remember when I told you that I was a 'procurement specialist'?" she asked.

"Yes." Alex replied. "You can procure whatever I want, wherever it is, whenever I need it!" Alex couldn't help but smile a little. "So, you are that good, huh?" Alex asked.

"Oh, I'm very good at what I do! Sometimes, a little too good. That's when I attract all the unwanted attention." Aretha replied, with a hint of regret in her voice.

Alex asked her, "What is it exactly that do you do?"

"Almost everything, I suppose. I'm a grifter, a thief, a forger, a hacker, you name it! I do whatever is necessary to get the job done! And I do it quickly, quietly and efficiently!" Aretha answered.

Alex asked her, "And this 'unwanted attention' that you speak of, they come from who, exactly?" She saw the reluctance in Aretha's eyes, "Come on! You said you'll answer any of my questions! Who?" she pressed.

Aretha gave in, "Various covert international government agencies." she reluctantly blurted out.

Alex looked at her incredulously. "You're a spy?" she asked.

Aretha shook her head. "No, I'm a spy's go-to-girl!" She saw that Alex looked confused, so she continued. "I get them anything they need. In return, they give me money or protection. It's quid pro quo! See, nobody's supposed to know any of this. That's why when your friend looked me up, it set off all sorts of alarms!" she explained.

Aretha saw that Alex had a worried look on his face. "Don't worry, you're friend is fine!" Aretha reassured her.

Alex let out a sigh of relief. She looked at Aretha. "So, what, you're like a modern day Mata Hari or something?" she asked.

"Well, I've never been called that but yes, I guess sometimes I am! But not all the time!" Aretha said as she laughed.

"Oh, great!" Alex said sarcastically. "Just my luck! I'm pregnant, injured and all alone in a foreign land, and all I have is a part-time international spook!" she said with a mixture of irritation and deep sadness in her voice.

To Alex's surprise, Aretha held her hand and said, "Look at me! I may not be perfect, but I'm here for you! I'm here to help you, so let me! You are NOT all alone, Alex! Do you hear me?"

FLASH FORWARD TO WINTERTIME IN VADZEL...

"Alex? Alex! Can you hear me?" Aretha's voice snapped Alex back into the present.

"I said your surprise is in the music room! Come on, let's go!" Aretha told her. Alex followed Aretha, the stranger who she now regarded as a friend, into the music room. Aretha just loved the look on Alex's face once she saw her surprised.

"Oh my God!" Alex gasped. "It's beautiful! Thank you, Aretha!" she said with great emotion. Aretha's surprise for Alex stood right beside the piano. It was a Christmas Tree, beautifully trimmed, with presents underneath.

"Oh, it wasn't just me! Jakob and Edina helped!" Aretha said.

Alex expressed her gratitude to the couple as well.

"Hold on, it's not finished! Miss Hunter, will you do the honors?" Aretha said as she handed Alex the Angel tree topper. "Oh, and don't forget to make a wish!" she added.

Jakob helped Alex put the Angel on top of the tree. "I did make a wish but I'm not gonna tell you what it is!" Alex said with a chuckle.

"That's fine!" said Aretha. "Edina, the refreshments, please!" She looked at Alex and said "Relax, it's just eggnog flavoured coffee and some crumpets! Like I'd make a pregnant woman drink alcohol, at this time of the day no less! I'm not daft!" They all laughed.

Jakob played the piano and they all sang Christmas carols, as they ate crumpets and sipped eggnog-flavoured coffee.

Alex looked at the people around her, she then realized Aretha was right. I am NOT all alone, after all!

~End of Chapter Two~

Footnotes :

*This chapter went a little longer than I expected.

*In this chapter, I thought with Alex being in a foreign land, injured and pregnant, she could surely use a friend. Just like Neal, she needs a June and a Mozzie. I created Aretha cause I imagined she's like a younger version of June mixed with a tougher female version of Moz. Like a fairy godmother with ninja skills! I hope you enjoy reading about Aretha as much as I enjoyed writing about her.

*mukluks = slipper socks

*I'm not a car expert. I just remembered one of my brothers mentioning back then that he wanted a 2001 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG*

*Some parts of the Vadzel bit was inspired by scenes from "Pretty Woman" and "The Princess Diaries".

*In some countries, they trim their Christmas tree just days before Christmas.

*Still haven't decided if the baby will be a boy or a girl.

***Again, many thanks for taking time to read this chapter!***